Illinois state highway system Illinois Tollway system

In the U.S. state of Illinois, Interstate 24 is a remote, four-lane freeway that travels through hilly rural southern Illinois and the Shawnee National Forest. I-24 is 38.73 miles (62.33 km) in length in Illinois. There are only five mainline exits; of those five, four have services. Interstate 24 crosses into Kentucky via the Interstate 24 Bridge over the Ohio River from Metropolis, Illinois to Paducah, Kentucky.

Interstate 24 begins at Exit 44A of Interstate 57 in southern Williamson County, near the community of Pulleys Mill. The highway heads southeast into rural Johnson County, bypassing Goreville to the east. It reaches an exit at Tunnel Hill Road, which serves Goreville and Tunnel Hill. The highway continues south to its next exit at U.S. Route 45 north of Vienna. It reaches its next exit at Illinois Route 146 in eastern Vienna. I-24 heads southeast from Vienna into Massac County. Its first exit in Massac County is at Big Bay Road, which serves the communities of Big Bay and New Columbia. I-24 continues southward, bypassing the community of Round Knob before entering Metropolis. The highway meets U.S. Route 45 again in Metropolis and passes west of Fort Massac State Park. It leaves Metropolis to the south by crossing the Interstate 24 Bridge over the Ohio River, continuing into Kentucky.

Interstate 24 was part of the original Interstate Highway System plan enacted in 1956. The section of Interstate 24 in Illinois was authorized for engineering by 1966 and authorized for construction by 1968. The highway opened to traffic by 1977.